Microdosing GLP-1s: Does It Work for Weight Loss?
Can tiny doses of powerful GLP-1 drugs help people lose weight or maintain weight loss? Here’s what an obesity doctor has to say about microdosing GLP-1s.
It can seem like everyone is taking GLP-1 RAs for weight loss, but the reality is, they aren’t for everyone. Here’s who really benefits.
We know you’ve seen countless celebrities and TikTok influencers raving about GLP-1s and how they’ve helped them lose body weight—and fast. We also know it’s too easy to compare your progress to the social media hype around GLP-1s (short for GLP-1 receptor agonist or GLP-1 RA). The truth is that many celebrities and influencers alike use GLP-1s to drop a few pounds without doing the lifestyle changes necessary for long-term weight management. However, GLP-1s weren’t made for losing just a few pounds for that big event.
For people with obesity or excess weight, those taking GLP-1 receptor agonists can reach a body weight loss of 15% or more. For example, a double-blind trial on semaglutide, a GLP-1 approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), studied the efficacy of a 2.4 mg dose of the drug for chronic weight management. (That’s the same dose of semaglutide as in the anti-obesity medication Wegovy®.) Researchers learned that semaglutide led to significant weight loss among the 1,212 patients when paired with lifestyle changes.
Another study on liraglutide in people with obesity without diabetes showed that 14.4% of participants lost 15% of their body weight or more compared to 63.2% of participants who lost 5% or more of their weight. (Participants in this study also received counseling for lifestyle changes). It’s important to note that the weight-loss results were reported at a little over a year in the semaglutide and liraglutide studies.
With other weight-loss medications—non-GLP-1s—losing more than 15 percent of body weight is rare. Research has shown that people with obesity (without diabetes) taking metformin, another medication FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes, lose 5.6% of their body weight at six months on average. (That said, 5%-10% of body weight loss is enough to improve most comorbidities associated with obesity.)
Before we get deeper into who benefits most from GLP-1s, it’s important to address the role of these medications and what they do in your body. GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, is a peptide hormone naturally made in your body. It helps regulate blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin secretion after you eat. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are a class of medications that mimic the actions of your natural GLP-1.
Specifically, GLP-1 RAs may increase your body’s insulin secretion, delay gastric emptying (digestion), and reduce appetite. Since GLP-1 RAs can help with appetite control, when you take them, you may eat less—and lose weight. But the exact mechanisms for how they help people lose weight aren’t clear. However, researchers are working on better understanding how they work and we do know that in clinical trials, weight loss was originally observed as a common side effect.
There are several GLP-1 receptor agonists FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes and two GLP-1 RAs are FDA-approved for treating obesity.
GLP-1 RAs were originally developed for glycemic control (helping control blood sugar) in people with type 2 diabetes but they have been found to be helpful for other conditions as well. According to Rekha Kumar, MD, Found’s Chief Medical Officer and former medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, people with obesity or excess weight can also benefit from GLP-1s. “People who benefit from taking GLP-1 RAs for weight management are thought to have insulin resistance as the driving factor in their weight gain,” she notes. Insulin resistance can develop when there’s too much sugar in your body, causing your pancreas to pump out more insulin. Your cells can build up a tolerance, or resistance, to the excess insulin.
Research suggests that there may be GLP-1 impairment in some people with obesity. It’s possible that their body either doesn’t respond to its natural GLP-1 or doesn’t make enough of it. For people who aren’t eligible for GLP-1s, there are other medications that can also help with weight loss.
What’s considered a “good” response to a GLP-1 RAs varies person to person based on age, biological sex, hormone status, previous weight loss, and other factors, says Dr. Kumar. “Although one pound per week is an average amount of weight loss while taking a GLP-1 medication, some people will lose less, while others lose more,“ she explains. “And for some people, success might look like the end of weight gain or feeling more in control of their appetite, so they can make good nutritional choices.”
For the treatment of type 2 diabetes, the initial approach many providers take (depending on the patient's medical history) is to start by prescribing metformin alongside lifestyle changes like exercise and a healthy diet. But if the patient doesn’t respond to metformin—that is, there’s no improvement in their A1C (average blood sugar levels over two to three months)—that’s when a GLP-1 RA might be introduced.
Bottom line: These medications are meant to be taken alongside lifestyle changes, under a healthcare provider’s supervision, and taken long-term for those who qualify.
GLP-1*
GLP-1 prescriptions, filled through your local pharmacy, are now available as part of Found's weight-loss toolkit. While GLP-1s are effective for weight loss, they are not clinically appropriate for everyone. Eligibility for a GLP-1 is based on a thorough evaluation of your medical history, eating behavior, lab work, and insurance coverage. If a GLP-1 is not appropriate for you, our providers will work with you to determine an effective medication for your health profile.
About Found
Found is among the largest medically-supported weight care clinics in the country, serving more than 200,000 members to date. To start your journey with Found, take our quiz.
Get the best of Found right in your inbox
Get started with Found
Ready to lose weight and live your healthiest life?